MOCKSVILLE, N.C. — A popular Mocksville restaurant is no longer trusted by many people who eat there. This comes as Davie County sheriff's deputies found a camera in one of their bathrooms.
The sheriff said the man who was arrested, Luigi Carciati, owns La Vita E Bella, an Italian restaurant in Mocksville.
Sheriff JD Hartman said they first started investigating Carciati after receiving tips from the State Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
They charged him with 20 counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor.
The sheriff said files from seized devices led his team to the restaurant and the hidden camera.
Ariana Pantovich said she used to work there a few years back.
When she first heard of the arrest, she was so shocked she could barely sleep.
"I just constantly was thinking. I woke up like early this morning about seven o'clock just thinking how in the world. Where were they placed? Was it in the toilet? Was it in the toilet paper role? Was it placed in there? That would explain why he never wanted us girls to clean the bathroom. He always had the worker Nino clean it. He always had him clean the bathroom. He never had allowed us to clean the bathroom," recalled Pantovich.
Pantovich said she's now worried that she and her young children are on the captured footage.
Alex Burton said he works down the road from the restaurant. He was just there earlier this week.
"It's almost hard to believe because you would never in a million years think that guy would do something like that because he's always been such a great friendly guy. It kind of angers me to know that I didn't know that kind of stuff was going on. I'm kind of glad I never took my daughter or my wife there to be in that kind of situation. I feel really bad for the waitresses and all the other customers that did go to use that restroom while they were there," explained Burton.
Deputies haven't released where the camera was located in the bathroom, what was down with the footage, or how long it was up and running.
The restaurant was closed on Thursday. It is unclear if they will still be open, the sheriff said they did not shut them down.
Carciati is in jail under a half-a-million-dollar bond.